


Leaps of Faith, Landings of Reality

by jest_tal



Series: Snap Back to Reality [1]
Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hopeful ending?, Introspection, Miles Morales mentioned, Other Spider-Folk mentioned, Peter Parker Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 03:22:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17072573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jest_tal/pseuds/jest_tal
Summary: The adrenaline rush of the battle has worn off, the unspoken warmth of camaraderie dissipated, and the satisfaction of seeing a kid grow into himself and succeed, is gone.Peter B. Parker is home.





	Leaps of Faith, Landings of Reality

**Author's Note:**

> Written in an hour and unbetaed.  
> Forgive me - I just needed someone to give Peter B some love and comfort - as well as acknowledge that relationships aren't repaired overnight.  
> ... which yes, does make it odd that he doesn't really get it in THIS fic, but I imagine things get better!

Peter Parker left MJ's house with empty hands and the image of his ex-wife's expression in the forefront of his mind. In her eyes there had been a revolving kaleidoscope of frustration, anger, and sharp grieving sadness.

Yeah. He had broken her heart.

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and exhaled slowly. At least she'd kept the flowers. That was something.

He wasn't naive enough to assume that one little bunch of flowers and an earnest look would be enough to fix everything that happened between them. He'd put her through a hell of a lot as Spider-man, and then just... left... when it came to the hard stuff in their marriage.

But if that little bout of dimension jumping had reminded him of anything, it was that Spider-man didn't quit.

It was the kid who reminded him of that. Peter started to smile, thinking of Miles as he'd last seen him. The kid really had grown into his own, stepping up to take his place among the other Spider-man with confidence. The smile flickered as he remembered just what he'd left Miles to handle on his own, confident or not. It wasn't that he doubted that Miles was smart and strong. It was just that he'd only had his powers for like two days. 

Peter remembered what it was like when he'd first been bitten, and he would have been hard pressed to take on Fisk in a fight and win....

He didn't doubt Miles. The kid totally had what it took to defeat Fisk. He could do that and he could absolutely shut off the machine in time to save the city.

It's just that Peter would never actually know if he had.

A leap of faith, he'd told Miles. Something he'd needed to do in the past to accept who he was as Spider-Man.

A leap of faith, Miles had told him. A reminder of who he was, where he'd been, and what he could be again if he just ...jumped.

Peter turned the corner down a trash laden street, his sad little apartment within sight.

Yeah, he remembered who he used to be, now. Hanging out with Miles and all of the other Spider-people had done that. All of a sudden, all of the support and belonging that had washed down the drain for him in the past few years was right there. He was surrounded by people who understood, utterly and completely, what it felt like to be Spider-Man. And, it wasn't something they had to talk about, it wasn't something that Peter had to struggle to communicate. It was just there. 

Before the fights, during the fights, and after the fights... They had been there and he hadn't been alone. 

He was part of something bigger again.

And, just for a while, he was once again someone that a kid like Miles could look up to.

Of course, all of that was pretty much all over now. Yeah, there were other Spider-men, and knowing that would brighten up his spirits in the future, sure. But it wasn't like he could go ahead and chat with them any of them when he felt like a ghost in his own life. It wasn't like he could get invested in their lives, or they could get invested in his. They were back in their own dimensions. He was in his. 

Being a part of something bigger, though. That might be a feeling that he could get back. By fighting crime and saving people he got to be someone that made a difference. He could effect the lives and well-being of a bunch of other people and, it didn't get much bigger than that. 

If he could just hold on to that, even when all he could see was his empty apartment and a sea of sad cardboard boxes, maybe he could lift himself up out of where he'd fallen.

Maybe he could bring himself back to the place where he'd actually be worthy of Mile's admiration.

And maybe he could bring himself back to the place where he'd have a chance to be a part of something bigger with MJ again as well, and make a difference in her life.

...if she'd let him.

He let himself back into his apartment, the chain lock jangling and the scent of dishes left too long in the sink greeting him. He shut the door behind himself quietly and regarded the studio room he stayed in.

"Alone," the thought tugged at him, all the more painful when compared to the taste of hope he'd had two days ago.

"Spider-man doesn't quit."

Peter sighed and his head sagged down from his shoulders.

Then he took a deep breath, straightened, and crossed the room to his train-wreck of a closet. 

It was time to suit up again.


End file.
